Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Small business spotlight: Edmonton portrait studio goes to the dogs

Lorena Smalley (left) and Amanda Adkins are the owner/operators of Chewed Slippers Photography, a thriving pet photo business in Edmonton.

Photograph by: Bruce Edwards
, Edmonton Journal

An Edmonton photography studio is looking for models with glamour and appeal to star in portraits for a commercial client, but the hopefuls don’t need to show up for the audition with glitzy makeup or unusually trim waistlines.

And they will be forgiven if they pant while they pose.

Chewed Slippers Photography is searching for dog and cat models, with formal auditions scheduled for Sept. 6. The canines and felines with the right look and temperament will appear in artwork that will emblazon the walls of MacTaggart Veterinary Clinic in southwest Edmonton.

Michelle Foster, who has been helping her husband Travis set up his MacTaggart Vet Clinic since it opened in June, said she was planning to spruce up the walls by commissioning a local artist until Chewed Slippers sent her a brochure. Now, she’s hooked on the idea of having the professional photographers capture images of the best-looking pets in Edmonton.

“It’s certainly something that I haven’t heard of before, but I think it’s a neat idea,” Foster said of the auditions.

By offering a full repertoire of services, from studio to on-location shoots for commercial clients and families, Chewed Slippers is attempting to capture a slice of Canada’s multibillion-dollar pet industry, which includes luxury spas, designer clothing, jewelry, vitamin supplements and massages.

“More and more people are wanting to have pictures done with their dogs or cats because they’ve taken a different role in families,” said Amanda Adkins, who co-owns Chewed Slippers with long-time friend Lorena Smalley. “Lots of people now call them their kids.”

About half of Canadian households own pets and spend an estimated $6.5 billion on them annually, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada.

“What we’ve seen at the trade shows recently is a marked increase in the fashions — your bling, your pet stroller for your ferret,” said council spokesperson Susan Dankert.

She said owners increasingly view their pets as part of the family image so they ensure their pooches and felines are properly groomed. And she adds that pet lovers from the baby boom generation are now empty nesters and are inclined to spend more disposable income to pamper their pets.

Retailers looking to cash in on this increasingly lucrative market will want to run an eye-catching advertising campaign — with the most adorable pooch models — to pitch their latest puppy coat or fashionable collar, Adkins said. That’s where Chewed Slippers comes in. The pet photographers have their own roster of 16 dog models that have been pre-approved by their owners for commercial shoots, and the September audition may well turn up new candidates.

“You get a sense of what dogs really photograph well and which ones will pay attention. And you start thinking, wow, this dog would look beautiful if you wanted to have a dog up on your wall or for your marketing,” Adkins said.

She and Smalley each had their own successful photography business for more than a decade, but found that families increasingly wanted to pose with their pets. Having dogs and cats roaming around their studios would pose concerns among other human clients who have allergies or aversions to animals, they thought.

They saw pet photography as an emerging market so they took a risk and closed their businesses, launching Chewed Slippers at their studio on 178 St. N.W. They spent $50,000 starting up the business, avoiding the high price tags of photography equipment, which they already owned.

After just three months, they have more than 20 active clients at any one time, and their business plan makes room for 70. They are projecting a net profit of $5,000 to $10,000 after salaries and other expenses in their first 12 months, and they hope to boost their profit margin by 20 per cent the following year.

Chewed Slippers isn’t the only game in town. There are several other pet photographers in Edmonton, though some keep other jobs and snap shots on the side.

Jill Shantz has been running a photography business full time for the past seven years, and has captured images of more than 1,000 critters, including cats, dogs, horses, potbelly pigs and even a tortoise. But the owner of Critter Collections, which has a studio in the Campbell Business Park in St. Albert, continues to photograph human subjects.

Shantz said there is room for competition on the pet photography side. She said the wedding photography business, for instance, is saturated but camera wielders still manage to make their way.

“Every photographer has a different quality and price point that they are selling at,” she said.

Adkins said a big challenge facing Chewed Slippers is not knowing what its next move should be and finding the best way to market its services, given that it is a new business in an emerging market in Edmonton.

“It’s been a really big gamble for us to shut down our other businesses and take this step,” Adkins said. “We really believe in it, or we wouldn’t have done it. But it’s kind of fun going into uncharted territory.”

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.